Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The objectives of the action were the establishment, promotion and implementation of two new support services aiming at enhancing the innovation management capacity and projects of SMEs based in the region Nord – Pas de Calais covered by the consortium EURACTE :

- The first service (KAM) targets successful applicants under the SME instrument scheme, i.e. “SME Instrument beneficiaries”. The aim of this service is to detect weaknesses in the projects, help the SMEs identify a coach who is competent in the particular field in order to efficiently accompany the SME in finding solutions to the identified challenges, and follow up and facilitate the SME-coach relationship in order to maximize the probability of the project to access the targeted market successfully.

- The second support service, “Enhancing SME innovation management capacity” (EIMC), aims at helping regional SMEs with potential for international growth, to consolidate their innovation strategy and management, in order to generate more structured innovation projects and increase their chances of success on the European market.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

EIMC service :As soon as the action proposal has been accepted by EASME, the consortium member dedicated to this action has been trained to the diagnosis tool IMP3rove by IMP3rove Academy at the beginning of November 2014 in Berlin, and has acquired a free software license. The EIMC service has been proposed to targeted regional SMEs, and first experimentations of the EIMC service have been launched in December 2014 with a firm specialized in professional clothes development and manufacture and another SME working in the field of greenhouses building.

KAM service :Despite promotion and support of SME Instrument applicants by the EEN team, there was no regional beneficiary of the SME Instrument, and so of the KAM service in 2014.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The 2 firms beneficiaries of the EIMC service haven’t had time enough to achieve the EIMC process before the end of the year 2014. But these first beneficiaries are highly motivated by the service proposed, and express a real willingness of change and progress. So we hope to be able to measure the impact in 2015 after the end of the entire process.